Planning first road trip

[irvineboy]

Does the R1S have a maximum kW it can charge at?


I found a ChargePoint in Palm Springs, that charges at 62.5 kw and between 8am - 4pm they charge 31 cents per kWh. Not too bad. I think ChargePoint is cheaper than EA.

I have a 135 kWh battery that gets 300 miles so that’s about 300 miles / 135 kWh = 2.22 miles per kWh. Does that mean if I charge at this station, for one hour, I’ll get 62.5 kw * 2.22 miles = 138 kw miles (kw miles doesn’t even sound right) charged?

The kWh vs kw translation doesn’t really make sense to me.

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[DeanB1452]

Think of kW as speed and kWh as capacity. Current Rivians can accept a maximum speed of 220 kW while charging. The speed at dispensers go up and down while charging based on battery temperature and how full the battery is. EA has some dispensers rated at 150 kW and others at 350 kW. Even if you charge at a 350 kW dispenser, it will max out at 220 kW due to the limit of your vehicle. So the ChargePoint that you described above may take 4 times as long to charge than a faster dispenser that maxes out at 220 kW. Keep in mind, you may see it peak at 220 kW at a faster charger, but as you get closer to 80% capacity you'll see the charge rate drop to 170 kW, 140 kW, 80 kW, 64 kW, etc. You're vehicle will also tell you that it charges at slower speed after 80%.

 

[irvineboy]

I have never found a ChargePoint station that’s over 62.5 kW. Maybe that’s why their cost is lower?

 

[irvineboy]

It’s interesting. I’m learning with EA, the plugs are always unlocked. They told me if you don’t want to leave a balance in the account in the app, you can physically insert a credit card and pay for each session. It will have a $50 hold that deletes after 24 hours and will then charge you for just what you charged on that particular

However, with ChargePoint, the plugs are always locked. The only way to unlock it is to use the digital key card to first unlock it. Then plug in and it’ll charge for your session only

 

[DeanB1452]

I have never found a ChargePoint station that’s over 62.5 kW. Maybe that’s why their cost is lower?

Speed doesn't matter on what price they set. I'll be charging at some stations crossing middle Nevada from Great Basin NP next month. In Eureka, NV the max speed is 50kw (Shell Recharge) and they're charging a $5 fee plus $0.50/kWh. The next station in Austin, NV (EVConnect) with max speed of 50kw with $0.60 connection fee and $0.75/kWh.

On some chargers it is Time of Use. EA has some that are as low as $0.36/kWh for off peak and up to $0.56/kWh for peak.

 

[Ingo B]

Check out the travel logs/road trips section of this forum. Learn from others' experiences, destinations notwithstanding.

 

[irvineboy]

Is it normal to get slower charging speeds than advertised even though I am the only one charging? Like half the advertised speed.

 

[DeanB1452]

Is it normal to get slower charging speeds than advertised even though I am the only one charging? Like half the advertised speed.

Many factors can affect charging speed. Battery temp can affect it. Set your destination in the navigation to a charging station so your vehicle will pre-condition the battery on the way to the station. It may cool or warm your battery depending on its current temperature. Another factor is state of charge. As your battery gets closer to 80%, the charge rate goes down. It is significantly lower after 80%. A third factor is that the dispenser may be degraded or malfunctioning. If there are other people charging, that can affect the charge rate as it is sharing power to all the dispensers.

 

[irvineboy]

Thanks for the explanation. I knew that over 80% slows it down. I knew that multiple charging could also slow it down. I was the only person charging and started around 65% charging. It was 40 kW at the maximum charging speed.

Can you explain what you mean by setting the navigation to a charging station so the R1 preconditions the battery on the way? I left the hotel to get to the ChargePoint station that was literally 2 minutes away so battery wasn’t running for long.

 

[DeanB1452]

Thanks for the explanation. I knew that over 80% slows it down. I knew that multiple charging could also slow it down. I was the only person charging and started around 65% charging. It was 40 kW at the maximum charging speed.

Can you explain what you mean by setting the navigation to a charging station so the R1 preconditions the battery on the way? I left the hotel to get to the ChargePoint station that was literally 2 minutes away so battery wasn’t running for long.

If the battery is too cold or too hot, pre-conditioning brings it to optimal temp to accept a faster charge. If the battery is too cold or too hot, it will charge slower. If you set your destination in the navigation, you may see a pop-up saying that it is pre-conditioning. Since you were only 2 minutes away, there was no time to pre-condition. If the battery needed to be warmed up, the motors would heat up as you were driving and transfer the heat to the battery. If it needed cooling, then you would hear the fans running at high speed in the front to cool it down. One way of pre-conditioning when you were that close is to set the destination and drive away from it and take the "scenic route" back to the charger so it has time to pre-condition for about 10-15 minutes.

 

[sagebrush2]

Good point. I just checked EVGo and they are charging 68 cents / kWh. So to charge a full 135 kWh battery will cost 135 * 0.68 = $91 ? No way.

Yep, DCFC costs typically mean that a road trip in the Rivian is more expensive than an equivalent gas vehicle (well maybe not with high CA gas prices!). Charging at home for me is about 6c a mile, while my last road trip was about 21c a mile. One charger did charge based on time instead of by the kWh, and it actually was just as cheap as home charging.

Also, Electrify America has a $7 a month plus plan that reduces the cost by 25%. You can run the numbers, but if you charge up 2-3 times a month, you can save some money. I turn it on and off as needed.

 

[irvineboy]

How come when I am charging, on the Rivian app, it says “You have limited connectivity, some features are unavailable”? This sometimes happens when I am charging at home.

However, at this instance, it’s occurring at a CharePoint station. My ChargePoint app will show me details but my Rivian app will not.

 

[djsider2]

On the way down, I was in conserve mode until it started raining. Then I was in AP the rest of the way.

I left Milpitas, CA with 100%. Wanted to stop in Santa Nella but it had been down for days. Stopped in Firebaugh at EA. Went from 51% to 75% and cost me $15.95 for 38.25kWh. Next charge was at Buttonwillow RAN. 26% to 90%, $32.82 for 91.181kWh. Visited Griffith Observatory and filled up for the evening at EA Pavillions. 23% to 85%, $30.59 for 85.088kWh. The next day we went to the Getty Museum and got a free charge in their parking garage and went from 74% to 88%, 17.1 kWh. Afterwards, we made our way to Anaheim and I charged up at Gardenwalk for free using Volta network. 70% to 81%, 15kWh. After a couple of days at Disneyland, we topped off at Downtown Disney from 76% to 83% with their Chargepointe chargers. It cost me $4.65 for 13.295kWh. Next stop, Buttonwillow RAN, 17% to 90%, $36.92, 102.56kWh. Santa Nella RAN was next, 18% to 50%, $18.70, 51.94kWh. Arrived home in Milpitas with 18% SoC. I was in conserve mode the whole day, coming back from Disneyland. So essentially, if you had a full charge you can make it from Orange County to the South Bay Area with only 2 charge ups at the RANs.

Seriously surprised you dropped to 18% from 90% between buttonwillow and santa nella. it's only 150 miles? Were you going 85mph?

edit: guess it depends on your tires too.

 

[sagebrush2]

One way of pre-conditioning when you were that close is to set the destination and drive away from it and take the "scenic route" back to the charger so it has time to pre-condition for about 10-15 minutes.

Is this remotely efficient from an energy or time standpoint? I never tried this myself, but I would think just going straight to the charger and plug in would be better than driving around extra. You will use some energy at the charger to get the battery to the right temp (and you can see this when you click on the Session Summary button on the screen), but I would guess it is similar energy as preconditioning.

 

[DeanB1452]

Seriously surprised you dropped to 18% from 90% between buttonwillow and santa nella. it's only 150 miles? Were you going 85mph?

edit: guess it depends on your tires too.

I think I had cruise control set to 78. Running on 20" Cooper Discoverer ATP II Tires. I was also hauling a handicapped power chair attached to a carrier on the hitch.

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